February 28, 2008
More Questions About SNWA Pipeline

By Dave Maxwell, Staff Writer

If Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) were to begin right now to build its proposed network of water pipelines from Lincoln and White Pine Counties to Las Vegas, it could cost as much as $3.5 billion. Those figures were given last November by SNWA. However, the pipeline, if approved, is still a considerable time away from starting, meaning the costs will certainly be higher. The projected amount would approximate the expected 10 year salary of some of the highest paid major league baseball players. It is $1.5 billion higher than the numbers SNWA has been using since 2005.

The 591-miles of pipeline SNWA wants to construct are anticipated to deliver as much as 200,000 acre-feet of water from Lincoln and White Pine counties per year. One acre-foot is roughly the amount used per year by two Las Vegas households.

Pending state and federal approval, the pipeline project is slated to go online by 2015, although ground water from areas closest to Las Vegas could be piped as early as 2012.

Lincoln County Planning Director Clint Wertz reported at the February 19 County Commission meeting that SNWA is going to have to pay the County for allowing their land to be used for the pipeline. SNWA has to inform County officials where the line will go. Also, impacts to existing property owners, operations, existing county facilities, zone changes and special use permits, will be required for the pipeline to be built.

Wertz said what has to be enacted is a “Development Agreement” that essentially nails down all the conditions of the project. He said there is a range of issues that will need to be understood by both parties, “So that when a road gets torn up, we know how long before it gets put back together.” He said all these issues relate “not only to the corridor itself, but also to staging areas along the way that are going to be scattered along the corridor.” He thought the SNWA has tried to go on site at those places as best they can, “but without having input locally from the towns, from the people, they won’t have all the answers, and adjustments may need to be made on their end as well.” Wertz said he had a “laundry list” of information that needs to be collected from SNWA. It would be a good idea for Lincoln County to look at how SNWA’s construction work will benefit the county. “It’s easy to focus on the corridor,” he said, “but there are going to be a lot of issues off site as much as there are up front.” Staging areas and impacts to communities, for example, temporary housing of workers, “this is going to run the gamut,” commented Wertz.

SNWA would most likely be interested in meeting with the people; however, at present, they have no planned public meetings.

Building Director Ken Dixon said, although he has seen a map showing the general location of the pipeline, what is needed from SNWA is a very detailed, down to the inch, planned route. Dixon told the Commission he has had several discussions with representatives from SNWA of what the County is going to require of them. “They all understand that they are going to have to get the zoning adjustments that they need and other issues,” he said.

Dixon noted that a huge concern of his was what it will take to transport and put the pipe in place. Each pipe segment is expected to be about 8-feet tall and Dixon says that will require building some major roads just to truck the pipe to where it needs to go. “And,” he asked, “if the BLM will leave those roads in place or come back and do rehab, is not known as yet.”

Lincoln County Water District General Manager Dylan Frehner said he thought SNWA would have an Environmental Impact Statement done within the next year, but that it focused only on the movement of water, not constructing the pipeline, and the study was only related to SNWA’s proposed water applications in Delamar, Dry Lake and Cave Valley’s.

Dixon said just from those three valleys alone, some major construction projects will have to be done. “They’re not going to be able to do that in a year, it may take as many as three years, just for that portion,” he said. In addition, he added, the construction going up into White Pine could take at least six years to get the pipeline in place.

District Attorney Greg Barlow said SNWA will have to come to the County to get use permits in order to have approval for the location of the pipeline, “Since they are crossing out of their (White Pine County) jurisdiction into ours.”

Commission Chairwoman Ronda Hornbeck said a list of items needs to be developed to present to SNWA and their engineers, “because they said they would work with the County.”